Powerball Jackpot Now 2nd-Largest in History

UPDATE Oct 10, 2023 12:00 AM CDT

And just like that, the Powerball jackpot went from the 4th-largest lottery jackpot ever to the 2nd-largest, the New York Times reports. With no winner Monday night, the pot grew to $1.73 billion ahead of the next drawing Wednesday night. If a hypothetical winner were to opt for the cash payout, it would be $756.6 million before taxes. The largest-ever jackpot was $2.04 billion in a Powerball drawing on November 7, 2022.

Oct 9, 2023 2:37 PM CDT

The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1.55 billion for Monday night's drawing after no one matched the game's six numbers for the giant prize Saturday. The $1.55 billion prize is for a sole winner who is paid through an annuity, with annual checks over 30 years. Most jackpot winners opt for cash, which would be an estimated $679.8 million. The jackpot is now the world's fourth-largest lottery prize after rolling over for 34 consecutive drawings, since the last time someone won the top prize on July 19, the AP reports.

That streak trails the record of 41 draws set in 2021 and 2022. The scarcity of Powerball jackpot winners reflects the game's daunting odds of 1 in 292.2 million, which are designed to make winning rare so that grand prizes can grow huge. Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

(More Powerball stories.)